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The Bidwell House celebrated its
250th anniversary and 10th as a museum in 2000. The house was originally built circa 1750 as the
parsonage for the first minister to the area of what are today the towns
of Monterey and Tyringham. |
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Surrounding the house are terraced stone walls brimming
with perennial beds. Installed in the 20th century when the
house was restored, these provide a fabulous setting for this gem of a Georgian saltbox. The remaining acreage is woodlands laced with hiking trails and foot paths
leading to historical landmarks throughout the property.
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The Bidwell House gardens were featured in the 1998
Massachusetts Garden Club Federation Garden Tour and the 2000 Lenox
Garden Club Tour. They are open to the public, free of charge when
the museum is open. |
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| Beautiful in all seasons, strolling in the grounds and
gardens is a pleasant adjunct to a visit to the museum. Additionally,
The Kitchen Garden demonstrates the early colonial style and variety of plants and
19th century Shaker vegetable gardening. Near it is an
heirloom herb garden. There
is also the remains of an old
orchard. |
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In
the autumn of 1997, photographer Paul Rocheleau and author David Larkin
visited the museum and toured the gardens in search of material for a
new book. As a result, a stunning photo of the back of The Bidwell House
taken from the herb garden graces the front cover of a book
entitled Country Acres,
published by Houghton Mifflin.In addition, a large photo of the interior of the 1836-carriage
barn, displaying herbs drying after harvest, has also been included. And
on the rear cover is the picture, below, of produce from the heirloom
vegetable garden on the front porch. |
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Country
Acres is about the history and culture of country life and is the
second in a series of handsomely illustrated books about country ways. Author David Larkin is also the editor-designer of the best
selling Barn and
Shaker and as
well as the author of Farm among many other illustrated books.
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| Photographer Paul Rocheleau is noted for his excellent work for
Antiques
Magazine. Many of the images in the 'virtual tour' of the house were
created, with permission, from his photographs. You
can purchase Country Acres
from The Bidwell House for $35 plus postage and packing.
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